Sen. Alice Harden, D-Jackson, shown in a 2011 photo, was being remembered on Thursday after she died at St. Dominic Hospital in Jackson following an undisclosed illness. She was 64.

Written by

Jimmie E. Gates,
Geoff Pender

When Bobby Brown started as principal of Blackburn Middle School in 2005, his first administrative position in Jackson Public Schools, state Sen. Alice Harden dropped by to see him.

She came over to the school and she immediately shared her expectations with me as the new principal of her alma mater," Brown said. "She shared with me that the school has a rich tradition of academic excellence" as well in extracurricular activities, he said. "She expected for me as principal to continue the rich tradition of the school."

On Thursday, Harden, 64, of west Jackson was remembered as a passionate ...